God has a tool box

This is my first time posting, but I love the blog. I wanted to share with everyone our little miracle that occurred on our way home from Kirksville today. Most of all I want to thank the Lord and give him the praise he is due for his wonderful works.

Just after entering Illinois from St. Louis we stopped for a quick pit stop at Suwanee, IL. When we started out again I noted that the battery light popped on at idle, but went off as we accelerated. I was concerned, but felt we would be okay to proceed. But about an hour later the light came back on while driving and stayed on. We were in the middle of nowhere, 34 miles from Mt. Vernon, IL. with a light rain falling. Jennifer called the kids to order and we prayed together that the Lord would help us get to Mt. Vernon.

We were able to continue on with every accessory turned off and sparing use of the wipers. We started noticing that the clock got dimmer and dimmer and the wipers slower and slower. Ten miles out of Mt. Vernon, the car began to sputter and we just knew we would stall, but continued to pray.

Suddenly a car that was directly in our path slowed to 50 mph. I wasn't happy about this, because it would mean slowing and accelerating again, burning more energy from the battery. Trying to spare the battery, I decided to coast the car onto the shoulder to avoid burning the brake lights. Somehow the jolt of the rough shoulder caused the alternator to start charging. The clock brightened, the engine came back to life, and we continued on. The slow car suddenly sped up to the speed limit once again.

Our rejoicing was short-lived. Soon the lights dimmed again, and even the tachometer, speedometer, and airbags stopped functioning. It looked like we were stranded about 10 miles from our goal of reaching civilization.

Nevertheless,the Lord brought us the full 34 miles to Mt. Vernon, carried us up the exit ramp, and had the light turn green for a turn as we coasted through and safely to the side of the road ...across from a Toyota dealership. We thought we had the Lord's answer to our prayers figured out, but we were wrong. They were closing in 20 minutes and were no help. They wanted us to get a tow truck to pull us the 100 feet to the dealership, get a motel, and see the repairman in the morning... But God wasn't finished. Across from the dealership was a service station. I was able to get a jump start from a girl who worked there, but to no avail. After a few feet, the car died again would not start again. The battery was completely dead.

Just as we were trying to get the car to the side of the road, out of nowhere three guys showed up and pushed us to the side. One just "happened" to work for a local auto repair shop and was friends with the girl who had tried to jump start us. He offered to take me to the parts store, called his boss to get tools, and stood by to jump start me when I was done.

A new hurdle came when we tried to buy a new alternator. Although the faulty alternator had a national lifetime warranty purchased from this chain, it wouldn't show up in the auto parts store computer. It looked like I would have to shell out over $200. However, the parts store decided to take my word and handed me a brand new $200 alternator with a $95 core charge at no cost! He only asked for the old core back with the box. They declined to charge me or even take my license number down!

Every detail was miraculous. The children were able to play at a McDonalds playland nearby as I worked and Mollie, our dog, was an angel the entire time as she calmly waited in the van. God met every need.

I was able to replace the alternator in the parking lot in about an hour or so with enough light and the rain even stopped. I was praying all of the while about how to share with the guy helping me. We chatted a little about his life, and I shared how the Lord had brought us this far and used him to miraculously answer my prayer. I wanted to share more with him but didn't feel at liberty to say more. I was discouraged until I realized I have his number and place of business, I plan to send him a thank -you letter and enclose a copy of Kurt Daniel's testimony. Please praise the Lord with me and pray for this gentleman that God used to meet our need.

Hope this is an encouragement. Jesus still answers prayers and performs miracles. And, as I told my girls... he sometime carries a toolbox. :) Daniel